Match 22: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (17-4, 5-0) at Northwestern State (3-16, 1-5)
Saturday, Oct. 10 • 2:00 p.m. • Prather Coliseum (Natchitoches, La.)
Video ($) • Live Stats
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – After emerging victorious in five sets from the battle of undefeateds with Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi looks to polish off a perfect four-match road trip at Northwestern State Saturday afternoon.
The Islanders and Lady Demons arrive in Natchitoches, La. headed in very different directions as the Islanders have won their past seven matches and 13 of 14 in the past month while Northwestern State has dropped its past four matches.
A&M-Corpus Christi enters off one of the most emotional victories of the season, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to claim a five-set win on the road at SFA in front of a packed house. Four Islanders set career highs as Brittany Gilpin piled up 16 kills, Madeleine Doud knocked down 15, Kate Klepetka rolled up 36 digs and Kristyn Nicholson tossed out 64 assists. As if that wasn't enough, Doud also set the program record for hitting percentage in a five-set match with an impressive .600 success rate on attacks.
The Islanders needed every bit of those efforts to end SFA's 20-match Southland Conference winning streak, upending a run of nearly two years since the Ladyjacks' last loss.
EYES ON THE ISLANDERS
The Islanders are riding a season-best, seven-match winning streak. A victory in Natchitoches on Saturday would bring the streak to a program record eight victories in-a-row.
Thursday's match saw three Islanders with double-digit kills for the first time in Southland play this season. Ivy Baresh and Gilpin teamed up to lead the Islanders attack with 16 kills apiece, while Doud and her record-breaking night produced 15 kills.
Doud and Gilpin sit atop the Southland Conference in hitting percentage as the pair of middle blockers are swinging a jaw-dropping .541 and .476, respectively. Only one other player in the conference, Lamar's Cortney Moore, is hitting at a .400 clip.
The Islanders continue to produce a stifling defense, holding opponents to a conference-best .142 hitting percentage. A&M-Corpus Christi is the only team in the Southland holding opponents below a .150 conversion rate.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE
The Lady Demons enter Saturday with a record of just 3-16 overall and 1-5 in Southland play after winning the conference tournament a season ago and making an NCAA appearance. The Lady Demons have dropped their past four matches dating back to a sweep of Nicholls on Sept. 26.
NSU is led offensively by Lauren Agan, who has 184 kills in 19 matches. Agan averages 2.63 kills per set and also leads the Demons in total attacks with 629 opportunities on the season. Behind her, it quickly becomes a team effort as four other Demons have between 108 and 115 kills in 2015. NSU is 12th in the conference in team hitting percentage, swinging at a .159 clip.
Defensively, the Lady Demons sit sixth in the Southland with 135.5 blocks on the season, averaging just shy of two blocks per set. Glynna Johnson leads the block with 15 solo blocks and another 54 block assists. Amanda Kunz also has 15 solo blocks on the season and sits just behind Johnson with 48 assists at the net.
AROUND THE CORNER
Following Saturday's match at Northwestern State, the Islanders return to Corpus Christi to host their annual Dig Pink match Thursday night versus The University of the Incarnate Word.
For more information on the Islanders volleyball team throughout the season, check them out on Twitter (@IslandersVB) and on their Facebook page (Islanders Volleyball), and download the official Islanders Front Row app for scores, updates, live stats and live video of all Islanders events.
